Azarath's Rebirth
by dark-angel Luna13
Summary: Set after Trigon's defeat. When two unexpected visitors arrive at the Titan's Tower, the Titans find themselves involved in fighting the second greatest enemy Azarath, Raven's home dimension, has even faced. A lot is revealed about Raven's life before the Teen Titans. And not all is what it seems (Rated T because I am paranoid)
1. The Lion and the Wolf

**First things first, I don't own Teen Titans. If I did, Raven would have ended up with Robin. This story is set after Trigon's defeat, as you will figure out, so Raven, being free from her father's influence, can feel a bit more emotion than before. I am trying to have the original characters acting like they should but if you think that someone is being OOC, just say so.**

Raven Roth could stand many things. She could stand Starfire's hyper cheerfulness. She could stand Robin's arrogance. She could stand Cyborg's obsess with meat and cars. Heck, she could even stand (to some extent) Beast Boy's jocks.

But she could stand the youngest and the oldest member of the Teen Titan bickering about whatever nonsense while she was trying to read a book. She had been reading the same line for the fourth time because they kept distracting them. And that made her furious.

"You idiots, shut up or else I swear to Azar I will throw you to another dimension where your last worry will be the whatever stupid thing you are fighting about!" she said looking at them angrily. Both Cyborg and Beast Boy stopped yelling at each other and turned to look at her, wide eyed by her sudden outburst. Seeing her glaring at them, they looked away completely shutting up.

"Another day without the fighting. How glorious. Friends, would you like us to go to the mall of shopping?" Starfire asked her emerald eyes shining with enthusiasm. The team was ready to answer when an overwhelming light came from the outside blinding them for a minute. Then the light died out and the teammates looked at each other confused before rushing outside.

What they saw outside the tower's door made them stop dead in their tracks. A pearl white wolf was lying on the ground with a golden lion standing beside it. The lion suddenly turned into a teenage boy with red hair. "Lupe, you told me you could handle the trip through the portal! You should have told me that you hadn't done it before!" the boy said looking at the wolf worried. The animal transformed into a girl with long snow white hair. "I'm sorry, Leon." She mumbled quietly breathing heavily. A deep cut was visible on her abdomen staining her lilac long-sleeved shirt with blood. She tried to sit up but let a cry of pain and laid back down.

Raven, who was the last of the group to go out, could neither see what had startled the rest of the team not had she heard the two teenagers talking. "What in the name of Azar is going on here?" she mumbled while making her way through the group only to freeze when she saw the two new-comers. The boy turned to look at her and grinned. "Good morning to you, too, Sweetness. Care to give me a hand here? You know that, if I try to heal Lupe, I will only make the injury worse." Leon said. Raven gulped, blinking a couple of times before rushing to their side and kneeled on the ground beside Lupe. Her hands glow a blue aura and in seconds the injury on Lupe's abdomen was gone. Raven and Leon helped the girl on her feet. "How is it possible? You…I thought that….Azarath…How…?" Raven said confused. "I think that we can explain everything inside. We are both exhausted from our trip." Lupe said still looking pale from the blood loss she had experienced. Raven motioned with her head towards inside and she began walking with Lupe and Leon, with the first leaning against the second for support, hot on her heels. They went passed the rest of the team and entered the tower. The team looked at each other in confusion before following the trio.

"Care to explain what is going on, Raven? Who are these people? And how do they know you?" Robin was the first to speak. "Well for starters, I would like you to meet Leon Amicus and Lupe Ferox. They are Azarathians which means they are supposed to be gone because Azarath was destroyed. And I would like to know why and how they are here." Raven said folding her arms around her chest looking at Leon and Lupe impatiently.

"Azarath was destroyed by Trigon, Raven's father. Or that was how it was supposed to happen. It seems that everyone was absorbed by the darkness inside Trigon's soul and we got stuck inside his body without him knowing. This happened probably as a side-effect of the magical shield that Trigon destroyed in order to have access to Azarath. So when Raven defeated Trigon and he vanished, we were separated from him. The ones who were still alive -we lost many of our people all this time of being inside Trigon's dark soul- magically transported to Azarath, which was in ruins." Lupe explained in a calm and soothing voice. Her eyes stared into nothingness and only then did the Titans realize that the girl was blind. Her light purple cape, similar to Raven's, was wrapped around her small shoulders and she was shaking a little having still not fully recovered from the blood loss.

"So who didn't make it?" Raven asked a slight hint of sadness in her voice. "Only a few of us. No one who you knew personally." Leon said and looking at Raven's eyes with quilt he continued. "Your mother….Arella…she..." he stumbled not daring to finish his sentence. "Don't worry, Leon. I know what happened to her and I have come to terms with it." Raven said giving him one of her rare tiny smiles.

"Ok, we know who they are and how they are here but we still don't know why." Cyborg said. The other Titans nodded turning their full attention to Leon and Lupe.

"We were sent by the new Ruler of Azarath to bring Rachel Angela Roth, the Raven and daughter of Arella Roth to Azarath to fulfill her given responsibilities." Leon explained. "And what do these responsibilities have to do with?" Star asked. Leon looked at the dark sorceress obviously surprised. "I might have forgotten to tell them about it." Raven explained suddenly looking very uncomfortable. Lupe chuckled. "Sweetness, I can't believe you! You forgot to tell them? How can you possibly have forgotten to mention that you are the next in line for the throne of Azarath which makes you princess Raven of Azarath?" Lupe said amused.

There were various reactions to this statement

Cyborg: "Dark girl is a princess?!My little sister is a princess?!"

Starfire: "Oh how wonderful! Friend Raven is royalty!"

Beast Boy: "You can't be serious? What will you tell us next? That she likes pink?"

Robin: "Wait, did you just call her 'Sweetness'?"

Raven sighed sitting on a chair with her chin resting on her palm. "Well now that my secret has been exposed there is nothing to do about it. Cyborg, yes I am a princess. Star, it is not wonderful at all. Beast Boy, they are absolutely serious and don't you even think that I like pink ever again. And Boy Blunder don't you dare comment on my nickname because firstly I was four when they started calling me that and secondly I am not the one in here looking like a walking traffic light." She said answering to every one of her friends.

Not waiting for them to say another word, the sorceress grabbed Lupe and Leon and went straight away to her room. She had a lot to talk about with the Azarathians and she didn't want her friends to hear.

 _~Raven's Room~_

"So what is really going on in Azarath? Because I am not stupid and I know you are not here because I am the princess." Raven said after closing her room's door.

"Your friends are interesting. I can sense strong auras from all of them." Lupe remarked skillfully avoiding answering Raven's question. "Lupe, don't change the subject. You are not here to talk about them and we both know it. Now, Leon, start talking." Raven said turning her attention to the red haired boy. She knew that between the two of them, Leon was the one who could not keep something away from her easily. The boy seemed to look everywhere but Raven. "Leon!" Raven said threateningly. The boy gulped. "Ok, fine you win! Azarath is in trouble. And we need your help. We didn't want to tell you because you might not have wanted to come with us." he said giving in. "Why would you think I wouldn't help you?" Raven asked.

"It has to do with Orion." Lupe said her voice as quiet as a whisper. The atmosphere around them tensed at the mention of the name, He was a topic the three of them didn't want to discuss.

"Whatever it has to do with, I will come. You are still my people no matter what." Raven said after a couple of minutes. Her amethyst eyes were still a bit clouded and sad from the unwanted memories that came to the surface with the mention of Orion. But her emotionless façade was back again the moment they exited her room.

 _-At the T.T. living room-_

"I have to go with them to Azarath. They need me. So I will be away for a couple of weeks I guess." Raven announced at the rest of the team. They looked at each other and then all of them –except Raven- looked at Robin who nodded in agreement to whatever silent decision they have made. "I believe Jump City can handle her problems on her own for a while. And we can also contact Titans East or Kid Flash to check up on the town. So when we are leaving?" he asked Raven.

"Wow, wait a second. You four aren't coming with me." Raven said pointing at them.

"Oh come on, Raven! Please, let us come with you! Please, please, please." Beast Boy said turning into a little kitty and looking at her with pleading eyes.

"Yes friend Raven, please let us accompany you to the journey to your dimension of home. It would be most interesting to see how life in Azarath is!" Starfire said making the puppy-eyes with her emerald huge eyes.

"I am not going to let my little sis go away alone. Dark girl, we are coming with you whatever you say." Cyborg said with his big-brother manner.

Lupe, who was standing behind Raven, was listening to the conversation with interest. They seemed very close to each other. The other four also cared about Raven a lot and could be helpful with the crises in Azarath. And the blind girl was amused with the feeling she was picking from all of them. Because of her blindness, her sixth sense and empathic powers were enhanced surpassing even Raven's. Lupe found the feelings and thoughts of the Titans interesting to say the least.

"Sweetness, you should let them come or else I believe they won't let you go. Am I right, guys?" Leon said always a step in front of Lupe. The whole team- except Raven- agreed with the amber-eyed Azarathian. Raven sighed defeated. "Ok, you will come with us. But when we get there, you won't do anything without me knowing and you will listen to me all the time." She said looking at Beast Boy implying that the order was mainly for him. "Pack your bags. Next destination, Azarath!" Lupe said smiling. The team went to their rooms to pack everything they would need for the trip.

"Why did you do that?!" Raven, who had stayed in the living room with Lupe and Leon, asked. "It is obvious that you will need them there." Leon said in a-matter-of-fact tone. Raven rolled her eyes at him and left to pack her things as well.

"Do you think this will work?" Lupe asked Leon when Raven was gone. "If by 'this' you mean bringing not only Raven but her whole team to Azarath, to tell you the truth, I have no idea." Leon answered looking at the door Raven had exited a few seconds ago with worry and uncertainty in his amber eyes.

 **And the first chapter is finished! Did you like it? I hope you did! Please review!**

 **Because some of you might be confused let me explain some of the names:**

 **Lupe (Spanish) means she-wolf**

 **Leon means lion**

 **(Based on the fact that Raven's soul self is a raven, I decided to have my OCs named after their soul selves as well. I will explain later on things about the soul selves when I mention general things about Azarath.)**

 **Amicus as an adjective and it means kind, friendly in Latin. Ferox is Latin has many meanings but for this story I am using the meaning of courageous. Both names indicate basic traits of the personality in both my OCs. Leo is kind and friendly and Lupe has courage.**

 **As for Orion, (My third OC introduced in this chapter) his name as a constellation means hunter. You will find out more about him and his relationship with Raven, Leon and Lupe later on. For those who didn't figure it out, he is going to be a bad guy in this story.**


	2. Home, sweet home

**To answer a comment from my first reviewer: Sarah thank you for reminding me and I do have in mind that Raven is more powerful than any Azarathian (since she is half-demon). In upcoming chapters everything about the other Azarathians' powers will be explained.**

"So are you ready?" Raven asked looking at the rest of the teams. They nodded. Then the girl turned to Azarathians. "Ok, so I will perform the spell to take us to Azarath since Lupe cannot cast it properly." She said. Lupe nodded in agreement but not without folding her arms over her chest angrily. She didn't like that, just because she was younger than Leon and Raven, they didn't trust her in performing complicated spells. Of course Raven was right to not let her go through the spell again but still it annoyed her. And since it was a complicated spell it required at least two Azarathians casting it to be completed, so Leo couldn't cast it on his own. Raven was the only one powerful enough to perform it with only her own powers.

"Guys, better hold hands with each other. The ride might be a bit rough." Raven warned as they all stepped inside the circle she had created using what magical sand she had left. When all of did as she said, she closed her eyes and concentrated. Although she had casted the spell only a handful of times in the past, the words came in her mind with ease. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos…Carazon Rakashas Enderez…Vaserix Endrien Azarath…Azarath, AZARATH!" As she shouted the last word, a sky blue light emerged from the sand, forming a cylindrical barrier around them. On the ceiling above them, a swirling vortex appeared and they felt themselves being lifted in the air.

Suddenly they found themselves floating in a bright electric blue energy-tunnel. At the front Raven and Leo were leading them with Lupe just a step behind them. "Keep your limbs away from the tunnel's ends if you want to arrive in Azarath with all of your limbs intact." Lupe told them and Beast Boy immediately withdrew his right hand which was ready to touch the tunnel's walls. They continued floating. When the Titans had started to think that the tunnel was endless, an overwhelmingly bright pure white light surrounded them. The next thing they knew, they were standing, their feet touching the ground and were looking astonished at the city which stood tall in front of them.

"Guys, welcome to Azarath. Welcome to my home." Raven announced letting the tiniest of smiles to appear on her pale grey face.

Circular building stood tall, many connected with one another by bridges, pathways many feet above the ground. The streets between them were made out of stone and trees were scattered randomly amongst the entire city. At the center of the city, the tallest building stood, resembling the Earth's ancient temples with its stone walls and tall towers at every one of its corners. And an engraved dove decorated the front wall of the building.

The entire city, which seemed to spread for miles and miles, actually stood atop a single rock of enormous size that floated on mid-air.

And they were standing on the edge of said-rock.

Beast Boy let out a shriek, noticing the cliff behind them and took a few steps forward, putting some distance between him and the edge. Leon laughed at his reaction. "Don't worry. Wards cover the entire area surrounding Azarath. You wouldn't be able to fall over even if you tried." He explained and took a rock from the ground. He threw it with force. The rock flew in the air but before it could reach the end of the ground, it hit on an invisible wall, on which it bounced and then fell on the ground. "Nothing, living or not, can fall off the edge." Lupe said.

"So the entire dimension is this town?" Cyborg asked. Lupe nodded negatively.

"There are two other floating islands, like this one, on the other side of the town. Bridges connect all three islands with one another. The one we are standing on is the original Azarath. The second was created when the number of our people increased. And the third one was created after Trigon was defeated. Many people of the worlds he had destroyed had the same fate as ours, imprisoned in his dark soul until Raven defeated him. After we were free, many asked for shelter, as their planets were destroyed and they had nowhere else to go. So a third island was necessary to house everyone." The younger Azarathian explained, moving her cloak as to cover the bloodstain on her shirt, not wanting to make people freak out.

Raven was the only one of the Azarathians who stayed silent, eyes glued on the city before them. Due to it being rebuilt from almost the beginning, many things had changed. She would look at one direction, where she remembered for example a tower, and in its place she would see a lower house. It made her sad and kind of nostalgic. Not even in her wildest dreams would she imagine of seeing the place of her birth again and now she was there but everything had changed.

Robin noticed her discomfort. The other Titans, even though they were her family, were preoccupied by staring amazed at the city before them and besides, they were used to Raven's silence. But the masked leader could tell that his teammate was sad and he didn't like it.

"Well, then, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" he said to no one in particular and moved forward and towards the first line of the building just a few meters away. As he passed Raven's side, he raised his hand and placed it on her shoulder. The gesture only lasted a few moments, not enough for anyone but Raven to notice. The girl tensed at first, not comfortable with either being touched or the calming vibe Robin was pushing her way through their psychic bond. Her eyes narrowed as they all walked towards the city and she glared at her leader. But a tiny smile appeared on her face just for a moment.

As they entered the city, walking on the stone pavement, many people turned towards them. Some smiled in recognition of Lupe and Leon, who had taken the lead, only for confusion to take place at the sight of the rest of the group. Many, probably members of the post-Trigon Azarath, seemed to recognize Raven and their reaction unsettled the Titans because even though some smiled, most of them took a few steps back, a bit of fear in their eyes.

"Friend Raven, why are the people looking at us with the expression of fear?" Starfire asked her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Raven sighed. "Star, I was partially the reason Azarath was almost destroyed. Do you really think that all Azarathians would be happy to see me, with a team of absolute strangers no less?" The dark-haired girl explained, her voice betraying not even the slightest hint of emotion.

"But you were also the one to save them all in the end!" Cyborg exclaimed, obviously displeased that Raven's own people didn't want her there.

Leon turned his head to look at them, having heard the entire exchange. "The news of how we were saved hasn't really reached the general population just yet. It had only been two months and we have been busy rebuilding to take care of that. The only thing that they know is that Trigon is gone forever." He said. Beast Boy glared at him. "So what, you mean to tell me that you didn't even bother telling everyone that it was Raven who saved them?" he asked, his green eyes shining with anger. "We had other, more pressing, matters to attend to. We will explain everything to the people during the coronation ceremony. So don't get worked up about it, kiddo." Lupe said. "Who are you calling kiddo?! We are probably the same age!" Beast Boy protested loudly.

As the two younger members of the group continued bantering with Lupe's dismissive comments on one side and Beast Boy's protests on the other, Raven held the bridge of her nose with two fingers, feeling a headache building up rather quickly inside her head. This was going to be a long trip…

 **I know it is kind of small but if I had continued it, due to the upcoming events, it would have become a long and tiring chapter. Anyway just to clarify it, the ages of the characters are:**

 **Cyborg: 19**

 **Starfire: 17 (I know that is not correct but I've always felt she is the second oldest of the Titans, despite her naïve and sometimes childlike behavior)**

 **Robin, Raven and Leo: 16**

 **Lupe and Beast Boy: 14**


	3. The Ruler of Azarath

**Ok just a quick announcement which I will make in all my ongoing stories. I know that I haven't really been very punctual in my updates and I sincerely apologize. But due to health problems, I have been struggling with doing most anything and will continue having this problem for a while. On top of that, I am packed with college. So please bear the limited updates and know that I am deeply sorry**

 **IMPORTANT: I don't want anyone to be confused so I will explain some things. First for my story I am using the word Azar as both a name and a title. In canon there were three woman named Azar all rulers of Azarath. In my story they still were named Azar but the word is also used as the title of any ruler of Azarath. The same will be for the titles of Leon, Lupe and Raven. Their names are Leon, Lupe and Rachel but many Azarathians know them as Lion, Wolf, and Raven from the animal forms of their soul selves. I know it might be confusing but it will get clearer as the story unravels.**

They were heading towards the center of the city. Somewhere along the way, Raven had pulled her cloak's hood over her head, trying to avoid the pointed stares of many Azarathians. Both Leon and Lupe were starting to regret their choice of bringing Raven back home in the middle of the day, with such a big audience surrounding them.

Reaching the tallest temple-like building at the town's center, they momentarily halted. Marble stairs lead to the front entrance, a tall double door with yet again the symbol of a white dove engraved on it. Two figures were visible to the group, standing outside the door like they were guarding it. But despite their posture, Robin couldn't see any weapons on their person.

"Just a friendly reminder, let us do the talking. Just because Azarathians are pacifists, it doesn't mean they cannot be intimidating." Leon said his voice slightly alarmed.

They went up the stairs, Leon and Lupe on the front with Raven following. Cyborg and Starfire walked beside her, one on each side, and Robin with Beast Boy behind them. The four Titans, after witnessing the many angry glares thrown to Raven's direction earlier, were instinctively trying to protect their friend, even though they all knew well she was by far the most powerful Titan.

"Magistrate Zora, this is a lovely surprise! Are you here to keep our dear old Ozias a bit of a company?!" Leon exclaimed cheerfully as soon as they reached the two figures, not a trace of his former nervousness. Ozias was a gigantic man, over six feet tall, dressed in a grey garment that resembled a monk's robe. He was bald and his big, dark eyes were staring at Leon completely blank.

The woman named Zora, on the other hand, had raised an eyebrow, slight amusement for Leon's behavior evident in her clear grey eyes. She was dressed in a sleeveless long dark green dress with a hood. Her bare wrists had golden cuff bracelets on them. She, unlike Ozias, was evidently not human judging by the serpent-shape of her eyes, the extremely long fingernails and the greenish shade of her skin.

"Young Leon, Azar has been waiting for your arrival with little patience. It seems that you hadn't discussed the matter at hand thoroughly enough before you and young Lupe over here decided to vanish. The whole council has been trying to calm our great Azar but without any luck. I am afraid you are in big trouble." Zora said, her voice melodic and calm, although the slight laugh that escaped her lips showed that she was more amused than concerned for Leon's situation. Ozias had stayed silent, hands crossed over his wide chest, eyed burning holes on Leon's head.

"Wait, you have already decided on a new Azar?! And you also brought me here without permission! And when were you going to let me in on this?!" Raven said as calmly as possible, pushing the hood back and away from her face and glaring at the two young Azarathians.

The two loud gasps that came from Zora and Ozias were enough to distract Raven for the time being. The two Azarathians were staring at the girl with wide eyes. Zora's face had paled, like she had seen a ghost. Ozias was in control enough to not let much evidence of his surprise besides his wide eyes.

"Raven?! Oh my Azar, how much you have grown!" Zora exclaimed, taking both Raven's hands in her own, ignoring the glare the girl send her way. "Hello Zora. Last time I saw you, you were just a pupil. Now you carry the title of Magistrate! And Ozias, I hope these two haven't been causing you much trouble." Raven said neutrally, although the Titans saw the smallest of smiles on her lips when she talked to Ozias. The man, who was most probably the guard of the temple, must have had some sort of a relationship with the girl, strong enough for her to be happy to see him.

"Hey! Just because you were the studious, responsible one and we were the reckless ones, doesn't mean you should assume we caused trouble for The Gatekeeper." Lupe protested. Ozias turned his eyes to the younger Azarathian but Lupe, as she couldn't see him, didn't react at first. After a moment of complete silence, she flinched. "He is glaring at me, isn't he?" she asked a bit uncertain and Leon couldn't hold back the laugh that escaped his mouth. "Well, I think we have kept our Azar waiting long enough. If The Gatekeeper grants us entrance, we will be on our way to see him." The boy said, his laughter being cut short by a punch by Lupe which landed on his stomach instead his arm where the girl was aiming.

But Ozias didn't move aside. Instead he looked pointedly at the Titans, minus Raven. Leon followed his gaze and he sighed. "These are Raven's friends from Earth. They call themselves the Teen Titans." He explained, hoping that he would ease Ozias's suspiciousness. But The Gatekeeper didn't look convinced.

Starfire stepped forward, giving the giant a radiant smile. "Greetings, Gatekeeper Ozias. I am Starfire, princess of Tamaran and I am so happy to have met you. It is good that we finally get to know more about friend Raven." She said and much to the shock of everyone present wrapped her arms around the giant in a bone crashing hug. The Titans, used to Starfire's behavior, just shared a meaningful look. Leon on the other hand was staring at the girl shocked, like she had suddenly grown a second head.

"Star, I think you should let him go." Cyborg said as they watched the giant's face turn blue, most probably from lack of oxygen. Starfire did just that, a nervous laugh escaping her mouth. Ozias remained emotionless despite everything but stepped aside in one short move to let the group pass the gates. Zora smiled at them encouragingly and with a wave of her hand the tall door opened with a loud crick. "I believe you can find your way to the throne room. Azar will be there most probably. I will not accompany you since I am sure he will be angry with you and I really don't want to be caught in the crossfire." She said giving Leon and Lupe a knowing grin. The boy glared at her and the girl muttered something along the lines of 'snarky little snake', hearing the sarcastic tone in the older woman's voice.

They went inside the building, Leon leading the way. The temple was one of the buildings that had obviously been rebuilt during Raven's absence and the girl looked around, her purple eyes slightly shining with curiosity. She took in the new hallways and the unfamiliar marble floor, which reflected everything above it. But as they turned for the third time at a corner she spotted the familiar white door that if memory served her right- and it always did- lead to the throne room. Guards weren't present outside the door so Leo just went up ahead and pushed it open, revealing the room that stood at the exact center of the building.

The ceiling of the room was made from a see-through crystal like material, much similar to glass but stronger and less fragile. The sunlight that came through the crystal illuminated the room, reflecting on the white walls and marble floor and giving the room an intimidating aura. Raven knew that the throne room was even more magnificent during the night, with the much colder and pale moonlight.

At the centre of the room stood a wooden round table with golden engravings, surrounded by chairs of the same material with tall backs engraved each by a different colour. Raven spotted the chair with the dark green engravings, matching the clothing Zora was wearing. Each magistrate, when he was given his or her title, was expected to dress in the matching colour that indicated his or her status.

A few feet away from the table, towards the back of the room, a marble platform, not even a meter tall, supported the throne, which was made from the same material and looked like it was a part of the platform itself. Light blue cotton covered the back and sit of the throne. And on top of that sat the last person Raven was expecting to see at the place where only the present Azar was allowed to sit.

The man stood up at the sight of them, his tall frame creating a long shadow behind him. He had a rather thin built; the white robes that covered his body emphasizing the fact, but that did not made him look weak or fragile. His hair, a platinum shade so pale it appeared white, was in a small ponytail at the base of his neck. His green eyes first glared at Lupe and Leon, who had bowed deeply as soon as they saw him, but then as they travelled from the two Azarathians to the rest of the group, all fury vanished from his gaze replaced by a mix of shock and confusion.

"What is the meaning of this? Leon, Lupe, you two cannot vanish without a word and have me search all Azarath worrying sick about you! And who are your companions?" the man asked while walking towards them. His eyes lingered a bit on Raven and suddenly a flare of recognition shined in them. "It can't be…" he whispered, halting his approach, face as pale as the marble on the floor.

"Hi, Arthur it has been too long." Raven said simply and her voice cracked just a tiny bit. "Rachel…" the man, Arthur said in disbelief and in two long steps, he covered the distance between him and the group. He went straight in front of Raven and suddenly the girl was trapped in a warm embrace as he wrapped his arms around her in a hug. She froze, not having expected such a physical response, but slowly gathered herself and awkwardly returned the embrace.

"I gather you are not angry at us anymore?" Leon asked hopefully with a nervous smile when Arthur let go of Raven. Much to his disappointment, the man turned towards him, eyes glaring. "I wasn't angry, young man, I was worried! You cannot imagine what scenarios of what happened to you two went through my mind. Don't ever do something like this again." Arthur said and both Lupe and Leo bowed their head in shame.

"Am I the only one who got lost and needs to have the situation explained?" Beast Boy asked no one in particular and the rest of the Titans minus Raven were quick to agree with the boy. Arthur turned towards them and smiled. "I gather you are companions of Rachel. You wouldn't be here otherwise. I am Arthur as you might have guessed and I am also the current Azar." Arthur introduced himself and the Titans went ahead and identified themselves. Raven stepped in between Arthur and her friends. "There are some things I haven't told you. Starfire knows some of them from the time we switched bodies but I haven't explained to her a lot. We better sit down. This might take a while." She said and Arthur seemed to agree with her after he realized her friends weren't aware of her life in Azarath.

They all took a sit at the round table. Arthur sat at the chair directly in front of the throne which was obviously his sit, judging by the white engravings on the wood. Leon sat at his right, Lupe on his left. Raven took a sit on Leon's other side followed by Cyborg and Robin in that order. Starifire and Beast Boy chose to sit on Lupe's left. The Titans were all looking at Raven who sighed before talking.

"When my mother was brought to Azarath by the former Azar, many who learnt that she was the mother of a half-demon protested. They believed that she would only bring trouble in Azarath. Azar was worried they would try to chase her away. She kept both my mother and me close but still some tried to harm me and my mother. Azar tried to protect us and she thought that if we were members of her family, showing that she trusted us, people would stop critisising us. So when I was three, Azar started training me to control my powers and she also had her only son marry my mother. He became more than anything I could ask for a father and he came to love my mother. That man is Arthur." She explained and the Titans turned to look at the man surprised. They couldn't believe that the man before them was Raven's stepfather. Raven continued ignoring their reaction.

"The hierarchy for the throne puts the female members of the family first. Only if there is no female successor to the title of Azar will the oldest male member inherits the title and the leadership. The Azar that I knew, Arthur's mother, after giving birth to him was unable to conceive and thus made him the successor to the throne and his offspring next in line. I, despite not having a blood relation to him, am the first successor. There is another successor if I wish to decline the leadership, Arthur's biological son."

"And who is the son of his that you are referring to?" Starfire asked, intrigued by the hierarchy system in Azarath. In Tamaran, male successors were always above the female and were always deemed more worthy of the title. It was peculiar and somewhat comforting to be aware that not all civilization followed similar roles.

"That would be me."

The Titans turned towards Leon, who had spoken, and the boy waved at them, smiling nervously. The team couldn't believe that Leon was not only a prince but also, being Arthur's son, Raven's stepbrother. That actually explained a lot their familiarity. They had grown up under the same roof.

"I believe that is enough information for the day. Rachel, your friends seem like their minds will explode at any second. I am correct to assume you all will be staying?" Arthur asked. "We are here to help Raven. If she stays so are we." Robin answered immediately, not giving Raven the chance to send them back to Jump City as she had intended. The girl glared at him but the former sidekick didn't even blink, accustomed to far more threatening glances from his time with Batman, instead he smirked victoriously at her. Arthur raised an eyebrow at the exchange but did not comment.

"Leon, go find someone to prepare rooms for our guests. Lupe if you would inform the members' of the council that Rachel is back that would be very helpful. As for the rest of you, you are free to explore the temple until you are assigned to your rooms. I would suggest you don't go outside without an escort. Some Azarathians are rather… defensive towards strangers." Arthur said, ending the gathering. Leon left through a side smaller door after waving at the team goodbye and Lupe soon followed him with a curt nod towards their general direction. The team, not exactly comfortable in unknown territory turned to look at Raven. The girl sighed and stood up. "Some things have changed but I think I can give you a partial tour to the building." She murmured her face showing no emotions, thus making it impossible for the others to figure out if she looked forward or resented the idea. They all exited the throne room leaving Arthur with his own thought.

The man stared at the main entrance, from which the titans had exited the room, for a while after their departure. He knew why Leon and Lupe had insisted on searching for Raven and bringing her back. Despite being thrilled of seeing his stepdaughter- she resembled so much her mother that he wasn't sure if he wanted to cry with joy or pain- he wasn't sure if her being back was a good thing.

He wasn't sure if she could confront Orion when the time came.

 **So how was it? Did you like it? I know I have a lot things that need explaining but I don't want to create an entire chapter about how the whole system in Azarath works so I will be gradually feeding you with more information that will solve hopefully any questions you have or might have in the future.**

 **Comments and questions are always welcomed so please review!**


	4. New Encounters and Memories

**Please read the author's note at the start and end of the chapters if you cane!**

 **Author's notes:Just so you know, for the various names that have come up and the ones that will appear in future chapters, I just searched in the internet for unusual names. No name of any OC that has been mentioned so far except Leon, Lupe and Orion has any special meaning. I just choose randomly an unusual name (It's Azarath, people! I wouldn't expect any Johns' or Peters' if I were you)**

 **And another thing. I am not very confident on keeping the team in character. I am trying my best but all of them and especially Starfire's speech-which I am trying to keep as canon as possible- so please if you believe they are off character, inform me so I can try improving them.**

As it turned out, much more things have changed with the temple's rebuilt than Raven had expected. The only places that had stayed at the same location as before were the Great Library, the room that was home to many treasured and rare manuscripts from all dimensions, and the gardens at the center of the building. Since she was well aware that some of her friends, particularly a certain green-skinned shape-shifter, would not be excited to spend their time at the library, she chose to lead them to the gardens.

As they entered the space, Raven looked back at her friends and saw the awe in their eyes-well, at least in everyone's except their masked leader- as they took in the beauty of the gardens of the temple.

The gardens were home to a vast variety of plants, collected from many planets. The place was always filled with colorful flowers and tall trees due to both human and magical care from all magistrates and even Azar himself. Many of the herbs were used for medical purposes as well as scientific and mystical experiments while the decorative plants created the perfect peaceful and calming environment for meditation as well as for each magistrate's teaching of their pupils. Raven herself had spent countless hours in the solitude of the gardens with or without the deceased Azar, learning how to control her powers.

Beast Boy was the first to get over the initial shock that had frozen all of them. The shape-shifter changed into a hawk, flying high above the top of the trees, reaching as far as the top of the tall walls surrounding the gardens. The gardens were the only place inside the temple not covered by a ceiling.

"This is the most glorious sight!" Starfire exclaimed with bright eyes, her gaze drifting from the purple, red, blue, orange flowers that popped here and there on the grass to the emerald leaves of the strong trees that provided shade in various random spots inside the gardens.

All of them decided to sit under one of the largest trees which shade covered an area that was spacious enough for the five heroes.

After a few minutes of silence, it was Cyborg that decided to voice one of the question that had appeared in all of the Titans' minds since the appearance of Leon and Lupe.

"So now that we are here, what is it that you are needed for, Raven?"

The girl sighed, her face not giving away the slight panic that was triggered by that question. She had known that it would come up sooner or later but now that the time has come, she found herself conflicted between telling them the truth and protecting her friends.

In the end she chose something in between.

"I am partly responsible for Azarath's current state and my status as the first successor of the title of Azar makes me even more responsible for its future. I need to make sure everything is fine before handling the title to Leon and returning back home."She said and a part of her pondered on the fact that she now considered home the Titan Tower.

Her teammates nodded, showing their understanding. Starfire especially knew how it was feeling responsible for her people, having not long ago almost lost her freedom for her planet's safety.

Only Robin, always the most paranoid out of the whole team, thought that despite the truthfulness of her statement, Raven seemed to hide something from them.

Before he could even think of questioning her, Leon appeared from the north entrance of the gardens. His eyes searched the place for a moment before spotting the team and he headed towards them in a hurry.

"We have found some rooms for you. Thankfully my father, when we restored the temple, insisted on rebuilding Raven's room. There are four vacant rooms in the same corridor so you can all stay close to one another. Follow me!" he explained and without a second glance at them, turned around and walked towards the same entrance from which he had came. The titans stood up quickly and followed him, Raven raising her hood over her head trying to avoid any more unwanted attention.

They saw a few people as they walked to their rooms. Most of them were dressed in similar robes as Ozias but two women wore simple short-sleeved floor-length dresses instead. Leon didn't stop to greet anyone, instead walked in a hurry passed them. Raven had once again covered her face with her hood and despite the curious glances the titans attracted, no one seemed to recognize the half-demon.

Suddenly a short man appeared from a corner, followed by a little girl. He was, unlike all the other Azarathians the group had encountered so far, dressed in a pair of cotton pants and a long-sleeved cotton shirt, both the same shade of dark blue. He was bald and the wrinkles on his face indicated he was well past being middle-aged. But what caught everyone's eye at first was the large scar that went from the upper left side of his right eye to the far right edge of his jaw. The wound which had left that scar had obviously damaged his right eye, leaving it completely blind. The girl following him was carrying a large tome in her hands, dressed in a pale yellow dress that reached her knees, a strange bird with pink feather sitting obediently on her left shoulder.

Unlike before, Leon stopped at the sight of the peculiar pair and bowed his head in greeting.

"Well, if it isn't the young Lion. You are aware of how worried our Azar has been because of your actions, boy?" the man said, glaring at the red-headed boy in disapproval. Leon raised his right hand to scratch behind his ear, a nervous smile appearing on his face.

"Well, Magistrate Phelan, I am back now and I have talked to my father. The results of my actions made him slightly more lenient." Leon said, failing in trying to look calm and instead looked more like a scared cat in front of the older man. Phelan raised an eyebrow unfazed, prompting the boy to explain.

"He returned with me."

Raven decided to speak, saving Leon from any more discomfort. She revealed her face and the man surprisingly didn't seem at all shocked by her appearance. Lupe had probably already informed him of the current events. The little girl on the other hand gasped rather loudly and the book she was carrying fell from her hands.

"I knew you would be back sooner or later. You know, many will not be so pleased with your return." Phelan said, his tone not indicating whether he was amongst said people or not.

Before Raven could answer, Phelan turned towards his companion. The little girl had kneeled down to gather the fallen book, the pink bird now resting on top of her head. It was evident she was trying too hard not to look anywhere near Raven's direction. "Calico, it is not fit of a magistrate pupil to behave in that way. Stand up and greet our companions. You should act more appropriately in the presence of not only our Azar's son but also the successor, Princess Rachel." Phelan said to the girl and she stood up almost immediately, her cheeks reddening in embarrassment. She bowed nervously, her eyes darting between Phelan and the others.

"I…I am deeply so-sorry for my behavior. Please don't be offended by my actions. It is just that I've heard a lot and-well, you see…I…" Calico said, stuttering with her words and turning into a mess of panic and fast breathing.

"Let me guess. Not many good things, right?" Raven said indifferently, saving the girl from going into a panic attack. Calico nodded in confirmation, choosing not to try speaking again, seeing that she had already embarrassed herself.

"I thought you didn't take apprentices? When the previous Azar had suggested you taught me, you have refused." Raven spoke again, now addressing Phelan.

The man's confident and strong demeanor flattered from just a mere millisecond. Only Raven, Leo and Robin noticed the sadness that momentarily clouded his eyes, and that was only because the first two had known him since they were little children and the third was a detective trained by Batman himself.

But that moment was over in a flash and Phelan huffed dismissively. "A lot have changed since you left so I would be careful with those questions you are asking, young Raven. I hope you have a safe stay here. Although under the circumstances, I doubt that will be the case. Now if you will excuse us, Calico is late for her history studies." Phelan said and without a second glance at them, passed right through them. Calico followed him in a hurry, her feathered companion flying in a zigzag pattern over her head. The girl bowed once more towards Leon and Raven as she passed through and then turned to continue following Phelan, who had already reached the end of the corridor and was ready to turn around the corner.

"What was that about?" Beast Boy asked, somewhat alarmed by the man's last words, which had sounded a warning and a threat at the same time. "He seemed rather offended by Friend Raven's questions. Why?" Starfire asked, staring at the corner they had seen the pair before they left their sight.

"Magistrate Phelan is one of the oldest members of the council. And also the only one who has refused since before all of us were born to have a pupil. Azar had tried to persuade him to teach Raven, hoping that with her knowledge and strict practice he would help her control her powers. But he had refused." Leon said and it was evident that he was hesitating to explain further Phelan's behavior. Raven decided to give him some time to think about what he needed to say and not say so she decided to explain to her friends about the whole "pupil" thing.

"Each magistrate is allowed to have up to two pupils, who he or she will train. Usually most of the members of the council choose two students so there will be some healthy competition which will probably drive them to be better. Not all Azarathians are allowed to study magic, despite everyone having the ability to use it from birth. The only ones who can study and use magic are the council, their pupils, the current Azar and sometimes hers or his successor. When the time comes for a magistrate to resign, he hands over his position to one of his pupils and the other is forced to give up his studies if no other magistrate chooses to take him as his or her student." She explained calmly.

"But that does not sound very nice. It would be a shame for someone to have done the studying for so long and then be told to stop the use of magic." Starfire commented. Raven turned towards her alien friend and sighed deeply. "Yes, I suppose it isn't fair. But that is the way things have been since Azarath was created and it has worked thus far. If everyone here were allowed to use magic, the chances of conflict would be much higher, believe me." She said, successfully hiding behind her unemotionless façade how much Starfire's words had affected her.

It wasn't the first time she had heard such words. She could still hear him clearly despite the time that had passed.

" _The laws aren't fair or just. All Azarathians should be given a choice of using magic or not. Their lives shouldn't be determined from the council or even Azar. Most of the times all the magistrates choose their sons or daughter or some other relative. Their choices are based on baised favouritism, not fair and objective assesment. If we could just change the rules, life would be so much easier! Sweetness, you might not even had to hide away in the temple if everyone was taught how magic works. If they knew more about your powers, maybe they wouldn't treat you like some kind of….some kind of barbaric monster!"_

Raven shook her head, chasing away the memories before they could consume her mind. Her eyes met Leon's and she didn't have to be an empath or a telepath to figure out the boy had been thinking about the same thing as her. His eyes were filled with sadness for a moment before a wide grin appeared on his face and he clapped his hands together, taking a few steps forward.

"Well, follow me now. We cannot simply sit around here all day if we want you to settle in before night time." Leon exclaimed in a cheery tone and continued walking, motioning for them to follow him.

As they walked, the Titans kept looking around, admiring the building's structure with its marble floors and white walls with carved symbols and images appearing in many places and the doors that were made by some sort of opaque crystal-like material. Raven took their distraction as an opportunity and sped up her pace, catching up with Leon who was a few steps in front of them.

"So why does Phelan have a pupil now? What changed?" she asked him, keeping her voice low as to not be heard by the others. She really didn't like keeping secrets from her friends but she knew Phelan enough to know that something very bad must have happened for him to have changed his mind.

Leon sighed. "Remember Dante?" he asked and Raven frowned, thinking back to her life in Azarath. She knew she had heard the name somewhere but it must have been too briefly and she couldn't remember who he was.

Then the image of a tall young man with broad shoulders but a lithe body and a pair of grey eyes.

She remembered him now. Dante was around ten years their senior and she had noticed him once in the gardens when she was with Lupe. He hadn't seen them but they had saw him-well she had at least- and Raven could still remember Lupe blushing slightly when she had mentioned him. The younger girl had explained to her that his name was Dante and he was Phelan's only son. And despite that Phelan hadn't taken him as his student yet, all of the members of the council were expecting Dante taking his father's place as a magistrate when the time came.

She nodded, her eyes promping Leon to continue. The boy looked away for a moment, as if he was contemplaing whether to speak or not, and finally he seemed to come to a decision as he turned his gaze back towards her.

"Dante is dead, Sweetness. One of the first to die when we were imprisoned inside Trigon's soul. He died saving his father. That was when Phelan got the scar of his face. He was lucky to escape with only that and not ripped into pieces."

His words felt like cold water being splashed on her face. A shiver went down her spine as Raven not for the first time in her life realised how much her mere existance has costed all those around her.

She had never particularly liked or disliked Phelan. And she had never actually talked to Dante. But the idea that a father had lost his only son because of her, because she had been born, was unbearable.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and she slightly jumped, so lost in her thoughts that she had been caught off guard. She looked at her shoulder and saw a gloved hand on it. Turning she met the gaze-or in his case the white of his mask- of her leader. Robin let go of her shoulder but a deep frown appeared on his face.

"Everything ok, Raven?" he asked hesitantly and Raven's eyes widened, realising her sudden grief must have made her lose focus from the permanent mental barrier she had put in her mind ever since she had been inside Robin's mind during the time he was hallucinating. That meant that whatever she had been feeling, Robin had felt as well which was why he was now worried for her.

In a blink of an eye she had regained control and the mental barrier stood yet again as high and as steady as possible. She saw Robin furrow his eyebrows in confusion for a moment, probably because the emotions he had felt from her had vanished as suddenly as they had appeared.

"Everything is fine, boy wonder. No need to worry." She stated trying to sound as apathetic as possible. It didn't help that Leon was looking curiously between the two, trying to understand what was going on. Robin looked ready to question her further, not fully convinced of the sincerity of her answer, but in the end he shook his head and kept quiet. However, Raven's instincts were telling her that this was not the end of their conversation.

The rest of the walk towards their rooms was rather uneventful as they went up a floor and soon Leon stopped, forcing them to do the same. "Here we are! This part of the north wing consisted of Sweetness's privater chambers and another four spare quest rooms for the team to use! There is also a small dining room over there since we are rather close to the kitchens." Leon explained pointing at the first door to their left.

Raven choose not to comment that the dining room wasn't there just because it was convinient. Since not all members of the council seemed to like her, Azar had the dining room built near her chambers so she could dine in peace and not have to eat in the main hall with the rest of the council and their pupils.

Raven's old room was the last door to the left. Cyborg got the room opposite to the dining room since it was the largest and he was the one with the most luggage due to his portable generator for his recharging and all the other necessary gadgets. Starfire choose the one beside Raven's when she saw the beautiful view offered by the floor-to-ceiling windows. That left one room opposite from Raven's and the one between that and Cyborg's. Raven made it clear that she didn't want Beast Boy and his untidyness anywhere near her so that made the case simple with Robin taking the room opposite from her and Beast Boy taking the one left.

"I believe I should let you unpack. I can have someone bring you dinner in an hour or two. It is going to be dark soon and you must be exhausted. You might not have noticed but interdimentional travelling can tire you out." Leon said and when the titans agreed on the dinner offer he took his leave after he gave Raven a quick hug and stepped back before the girl could even have the chance to push him away. "Don't bring only meat!" Beast Boy shouted after the boy and the red haired turned just for a moment to nod, making it clear he had heard the shape-shifter.

The team hadn't realised it by now but when they looked out the windows they noticed that Leon was correct and the sun was already making his way down from the sky. So they all headed to their rooms, intending to settle in before dinner.

Raven was the last one outside her room as she stood frozen opposite from the door. She stared at the carvings on the upper side of the builind, a dove painted white with its outstretched wings-Azar's symbol- and below it a smaller carving of a purple raven. She could remember clearly Azar letting her crave the second bird herself when she was around nine.

With a sigh she took hold of the doorhandle and opened it, entering the room. She was shoked to witness that Leon hadn't been kidding when he had said that Arthur had restored her room. It was just like she remembered.

The walls were painted a lilac color, with a black chandelier hanging from the ceiling. On her right there was the canoby queen sized bed painted black with white curtains and a small low table. On her left the wall was covered almost enterily with bookshelves that housed not only many books and notebooks but also candles and crystals, with the only open space being occupied by a dark-wooden desk and a chair. The wall opposite from the door was like Starfire's room covered with floor-to-ceiling windows and Raven with the wave of her hand closed the dark-purple curtains, engulfing the room in almost complete darkness. With another wave of her hand the candles of the chandelier lightened.

Raven set to upack, putting the few changes of clothes in the wardrobe beside the door. She noticed that the closet wasn't empty, and she shook her head noticing the clothes occupying it. There were five outfits, three of them being the traditional robes worn by the majority of Azarath, in white, purple and dark blue. The last two were dresses, one of them a hideous shade of pink and one white. Raven was certain that either Lupe or Leon-maybe even both of them- had put them there before their trip to Earth, to annoy her in case they succeded in bringing her back.

Finishing with her clothes she placed the few books she had brought with her into empty spaces on the shelves and her mirror on the desk. She had found that even though Trigon was gone and she had a certain amount of freedom of expressing her emotions, she still liked meditation and using the mirror to enter her mind, so she had decided to take it with her in case such action was needed.

After competely unpacking, she sat at the foot of her bed, staring at her room as if this was all a dream and she expected waking up any moment noe. Her mind finally caught up completely with the fact that Azarath wasn't gone, that her people weren't gone. She took a deep breath, trying to control the rush of happiness that threatened to overwhelmed her. Even though her time in Azarath hadn't been without negative incidents, she still loved her place of birth dearly. Knowing that she hadn't caused its complete distraction was a juge relief.

Her mind travelled to her mother and she wished not for the first time since she had figured out Arella was no longer alive that she was by her side. She had hoped that by leaving Azarath, she would give a chance of actually living her life for her mother. In the end she hadn't been able to change the inevitable.

When she lived in Azarath, she hadn't really spent a lot of time with Arella. Azar kept her occupied with meditation, extensive studying and practising. Raven wondered not for the first time since she had jointed the Titans if maybe the monarch of Azarath had kept daughter and mother apart on purpose seeing that Raven needed to learn to suppress her emotions and the happiness she would experience while with her mother could be considered dangerous regarding her lose of control.

But she knew for a fact that her mother loved her, despite the little time they had spent together. She also knew how deeply in love were Arthur and Arella after some time had passed. Raven hoped that the new life Arella had created in Azarath had been enough to not let her mother die with unbearable regrets.

 **Author's note:I didn't want to continue because the chapter would be way too long. As I might have mentioned before although I am following canon regarding the basics of Azarath, most things regarding the dimension will be of my own making so be aware than the story will be a slow burn since I am going to introduce an entire world while the story goes on.**

 **And a small note regarding the mental bond between Robin and Raven. I have a brilliant idea regarding that and I will expand on it in upcoming chapters. There is a lot more regarding that and it will be a big reveal when the true nature of the bond comes out (As I have mentioned this will be a RobRae story amongst other things so the bond will play an important role regarding that)**

 **Please share your thoughts with me by reviewing, favourite or follow my story or me if you liked it and hope you enjoyed this chapter. Bye!**


	5. Nightmares and Revelations

**A huge thanks to all those that reviewed (Reviews are the third most important thing after air and water for me!).**

 **A small feedback on the timeline: I couldn't really remember if there was any dates mentioned and couldn't find anything online so I made my own assumptions on the timeframe. I have the Titans being a team for close to two years when Trigon attacks Earth so that would mean Raven left Azarath when she was 14. Also I will be changing some of the facts around her departure and especially the events leading to her decision to leave, just for future notice.**

The Titans realized soon after dinner that Leon was right. They all felt rather worn out and barely managed to reach their rooms without falling asleep on the way. Even Raven had felt rather tired as she entered her room. When she had travelled to Azarath during the whole 'end of the world' ordeal, she had done so on her own and the protective barrier around Azarath was severely weakened due to Trigon's attack. So she hadn't been affected that much due to her demonic side granting her with superhuman endurance. But now she barely managed to toss her clock aside and kick off her boots before collapsing under the covers of her bed, falling asleep soon after.

It was well past midnight and the whole city was quiet. The only light illuminating the streets came from the two moons of Azarath, one identical to the Earth's moon while the second was much smaller and had an azure glow surrounding it. The combination of white and blue light coming from the two moons gave the empty streets and bright buildings a melancholic and serene atmosphere, almost as if those orbs were trying to lull the residents of the dimension to peaceful sleep.

But their efforts were futile since at least one person was having trouble finding peace even in her sleep.

Raven's head kept jerking left and right, her eyes moving rapidly under her close eyelids. Her legs were dangled with the bed's covers, the fabric wrapped around and under her limbs. A soft, barely undetectable groan escaped her lips as she continued on dreaming.

 _Raven looked around her. She could barely make out her surroundings, identifying them as the streets of Jump City. But the building seemed faded and blurry and she could not make out the faces of the people walking around her. She shook her head, trying to chase away the blurriness but instead everything around her, the buildings, the trees and even the people started melting away like they were made out of snow._

 _Suddenly a flame, as small as the tip of her finger, lightened up out of nowhere in front of her. In the blink of the night the flame had spread like wildfire, creating a red circle around her. Raven cried out in fright as the flames moved as if they had a mind of their own, closing in on her. She could feel the heat on her skin and she tried to fly away but found herself unable to levitate even an inch of the ground. The flames raised high above her and came crushing on her like a tsunami of red boiling water. A scream escaped her mouth as she raised her arms and kneeled down, hoping to shield herself from the flames._

 _But the burning never came. As she felt the minutes go by and no burning on her skin, she opened her eyes, standing up and saw not even a flicker of fire around her. Her relief was only monumentally since a sharp pain that seemed to come from all over her body pierced through her. She groaned in pain and looked down at herself only for her eyes to widen in shock._

 _Her leotard was torn and her body was marked with symbols she had hoped never to see again, glaring at her red and bright like a pair of eyes of a predator hiding in the shadows, waiting for the moment to strike._

" _No! No! This must be a dream! A nightmare! I defeat him!" she murmured and then raised her head, glaring at the absolute darkness that surrounded her. "I defeated you! You are dead!" she yelled with ferocity, her amethyst eyes replaced with two pair of red demonic ones for a moment._

" _Oh, dear daughter, you might have defeated me. But who will save them from you? I am not the only enemy you have made over the years."_

 _Trigon's voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere all at the same time. Raven started taking deep breaths trying to calm herself down. He was wrong. She had defeated him and saved her friends. She would do the same now. She would defeat Orion and save her people._

 _As if they had waited those exact thought to spring to life, images flashed before her eyes. Cyborg being torn apart, limb by limb, by red skinned hands with black long nails. Beast boy chained down, rocks falling on him as the changeling tried but failed to change into something that would break his bonds. Starfire being held to the ground, a hand wrapped firmly around her neck as she gasped for air, her superhuman strength and abilities somehow ineffective. And Robin surrounded by flames that slowly burned him alive._

 _Their agonizing screams made her ears bleed and she closed her eyes trying to chase the images away. She not only saw them and heard them; she could feel what they were feeling. She could feel Cyborg's pain as his limbs were torn. She could feel Beast Boy's struggle even as the rocks crushed him. She could feel Starfire burning desire to breath and her body weakening. She could feel Robin's flesh burning burned to a crisp._

 _The images disappeared as suddenly as they had come and she was left gasping for air, her ears ringing and her mind a mess._

 _A figure appeared before her, almost as if he had sprung out of the darkness itself. Raven immediately shook herself out of her dazed state and glared at the villain, trying not to look at her father's mark on his helmet._

" _Hello birthday girl. Missed me?"_

 _Raven raised a hand to throw Slade back as the man started walking towards her. But as she moved her hand forwards nothing happened. She tried again and again but it felt almost as if her own magic was refusing her, was refusing to follow her will._

 _Slade was now in front of her and Raven, realizing that she couldn't use magic, backed down in fear. The man grabbed her tightly by the shoulders and forced her to kneel down. Raven found that she couldn't even control her own body as it complied with Slade's push without any resistance._

 _He raised one hand towards his helmet and she opened her mouth to say anything- attempt to chant her mantra in a last effort to use her powers, curse him and Trigon, sent them both to hell where they belong- but no sound came out of her open lips. She couldn't speak._

 _So she watched with wide eyes Slade touched the helmet which seemed to melt under his touch. But the sorceress was not met with the sight of the villain's real face. No, the person she saw in front of her wasn't Slade._

" _Hello, sweetness. Are you ready to play?" Orion said and Raven screamed…._

Raven sat up, her eyes wide open, a scream almost out of her lips. Instead of screaming, she gasped for air as if she had been held underwater for too long. Her head was a mess as her mind recalled the nightmare she had just had in. she noticed her hands were trembling and as her eyes looked around in panic she saw the bookshelves moving violently, the books on the verge of falling off. Closing her eyes, she tried slowing down her breathing, realizing that losing her calm would cause damage around her that she would be unable to explain to the others in the morning. Slowly her mind cleared, a dull headache being the only reminder of the horrid dream she had.

She thought she had prevented a disaster. But she had spoken too soon…..

The moment she finally managed to calm herself down, her doors opened widely, Robin appearing on the other side. The sorceress looked at her friend bewildered. He seemed to just have woken up, still dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt instead of his normal attire, although his domino mask was intact on his face. He looked pale and a bit out of breath.

"Robin! What in Azar's name are you doing?!" Raven said trying to sound calm, even though she was slightly alerted, trying to think of any reason that the boy would barge in her bedroom in the middle of the night.

Robin entered the room, closing the doors behind him and opened his mouth ready to speak, only to close it and open it once more. Raven was even more confused now, seeing her leader in such an awkward state. The only times she had seen him acting awkward was when either Cyborg or Beast Boy would indirectly tease him about his crush on Starfire.

She ignored the small sting in her chest at that thought.

"I…Raven I think… no…no… I felt you. I mean I felt your feelings…I think. And it was horrible and all too real and I just knew it wasn't me who was feeling those things, it was you. And I just...I needed to check on you." The boy stuttered almost as if he wasn't sure about what he was talking and if Raven hadn't been caught on what he was saying, she would surely tease him about him struggling to speak.

The girl, even with her headache, managed to connect the dots and figured out what had happened. Since the mental barrier she had used to damp the mental bond between her and Robin was rather complex and powerful magic, even she couldn't support it in states of unconsciousness. She of course had taken precautions; engraving symbols on her bedroom walls as to create a magical cell that would severe any mental links between being inside the room and beings outside the room. But, due to the fact she was exhausted when she fell asleep that night, she had forgotten that her new room didn't have such a magical cell. Thus Robin must have felt her emotions during her nightmare through their bond.

She was at a loss of words. Robin hadn't really pressured her about their bond before if you didn't count that time during her birthday. Possible because he didn't know to what depths the bond really went, something Raven had tried really hard to hide by severing it with her powers. And she had wanted it to continue being that way.

"I am fine, Robin. There is no need to worry. I am sorry that I woke you. It was just a dream, nothing more." She managed to say but her words echoed empty even in her own ears. A part of her knew that not all of it was a dream. Even though she hated to admit it, the images of her friends she had witnessed had felt more like a premonition that the makings of her imagination.

The boy, who normally didn't pressure her and tried to give her as much space as she needed, took a few more steps towards her, a deep line appearing on his forehead as he furrowed his eyebrows. Raven didn't need to be able to see his eyes to know he was glaring at her. She stared back at the weight material of his mask, trying to appear as calm and nonchalant as possible.

"Raven, you know you can talk to me. And we both know that whatever that was, it was definitely something." He said, his tone betraying he had no intention of leaving any time soon. Raven sighed, growing frustrated with him and feeling her headache piercing her skull, making rather difficult to even compose the simplest thought.

"There is nothing to talk about, boy wonder. We all have nightmares. I don't see you annoying Beast Boy or Starfire or Cy about it. For Azar's shake, you are the one who goes off on his own every other week. And you are expecting me to do what? Share my feelings and thoughts with you over a cup of tea and some cupcakes?" Raven hissed, trying to contain her anger. A part of her- probably Knowledge- kept telling her she shouldn't be angry with him and that he wasn't at fault for being worried about her. But her currently growing headache and her frustration that seemed to be building up inside her ever since Leon and Lupe appeared at the Tower's entrance drowned the voice of reason inside her mind.

Robin actually flinched at her words. But he recovered quickly, not willing to give up that easily. "Something is bothering you. You have been keeping something from all the team since we got here. I want to help, Raven, as your leader and as your friend. Stop being so stubborn and talk to me!" He said, hoping he didn't sound as desperate as he was feeling. He had felt her pain and even though he wasn't actually sure how that had happened, he was determined to help her. The thought one of his closest friends-a member of his family- was hurting was unbearable-especially when one considered his track record with any person who had been family to him or was considered as such-.

Raven was actually tempted to open a portal behind him and throw him in it just to get rid of him. She gritted her teeth, her hands clutching tightly at the sheets and the rattling sound that reached her ears made it clear the bookshelves had started shaking once more.

If only she didn't have that splitting headache…..

"I appreciate your concern but you are being paranoid. I am not keeping anything from you and this was just a blasted nightmare. So get out, Richard, before I make you!" She said with a sharp and cold tone that would have sent Beast Boy running to the other side of the temple.

She realized the exact words that had left her lips a heartbeat after she had spoken them. She immediately felt like someone had thrown ice cold water on her. Her whole body tensed, her eyes widening with actual fright and her face paling significantly. She looked at the boy, hoping against all hope that by some magical way he had not heard her.

But he had. Robin was standing still, arms shaking slightly as he had tightened his hands into fists with so much force that his knuckles had turned white. His eyes had widened and the material of the mask had stretched comically at the movement. He gritted his teeth, setting his jaw firmly as his whole body seemed to be in between shock and pure rage. Cautiously, Raven reached out with her empathy, hoping to get a glimpse of his emotions without damaging the barrier severing their bond. Feeling a mixture of confusion, shock, anxiety and just a drop of anger coming from him, she tensed even more, actually considering turning into her soul self and disappearing in the shadows.

She had to admit that she had thought of calling him by his real name ever since she had found out about it during her entering his mind. She had actually started referring to him as both Robin and Richard in her mind and had contemplated of how she would actually tell him about knowing not just his name, but everything. But days passed after his almost permanent fall into madness and it became clear that Robin, even though he could remember that Raven had entered his mind, didn't know that Raven had witnessed his entire life through his memories. And so the girl had decided to stay silent. After all, one of the most important things in Robin's life was keeping his real identity a secret and she couldn't tell him she had 'seen' his whole life bassically without his consent, even though it had been by accident.

Who would have told her that a stupid-no matter how terrifying it was- nightmare and a blasted headache would be the reason she would slip up and give out her deceit?

"What did you call me?" Robin managed to ask, his voice a mere whisper. His face was slightly red- with either anger or embarrassment or maybe both- and his breath was slightly uneven, almost as if he was on the verge of a panic attack, just barely keeping himself together.

Raven tried to speak, to say anything that would somehow fix the mess she had created. But no words would be able to close the Pandora's Box she had opened.

"It was an accident."

That was all she had managed to say. And the boy turned around like he was on fire and exited her room before she could say anything else.

She didn't dare to reach out and feel his emotions. She wasn't sure if she would be able to handle it. Only one thought echoed again and again in her mind, her headache drowning everything else.

She had most probably just lost him.

 **Dramaaaaaaa! One of my favourite words!**

 **I know that someone might think that Raven lost her cool maybe a bit too easily but I think that would actually happen considering how much pressure she is under. My opinion aside, I would love to read your own thoughts about the start of my RobRae drama!**

 **I hope I explained the whole bond thing between them. Basically Robin is aware that Raven entered his mind during the whole hallucination incident but he isn't aware of the full extent of the mental bond between them (since Raven has been blocking it all this time) and that Raven saw his memories. And Raven didn't do that intentionally, she was just planning to see through his eyes to understand what was going on but she accidentally created a link between them which forced his memories inside her mind.**

 **Any questions are welcomed! Please review and give me your opinions.**


	6. The Aftermath

**I would like to apologize for being gone for so long. Also I would urge you all to review with comments, especially on my portrayal of Raven. Although I do have a certain opinion and image of her in my own mind, I would love to hear your thoughts- both good and bad- about how I am depicting her in my story. She is one of my favourite Titans (as well as one of my favourite comic book characters) so I want to do her justice in my story.**

Raven didn't get much sleep after her fight with Robin. So when the sun started its rise over the horizon, she was very much awake. Knowing that this restless state in between sleep and consciousness wasn't doing her any good, she gave up on falling asleep and stood up. Without much thought to it, she decided to trade her superhero attire with one of the robes in her closet. Choosing the purple one, she still draped her clock over her shoulders and put on her usual footwear before exiting the room.

She glanced at Robin's closed door. Last night, after their fight, she had fought the urge to go after him, because one she would probably make things worse and two she knew him well enough to be certain he needed time to process. Now she wondered if maybe she should knock and see if he was awake. Raven was well aware she couldn't avoid all together talking with him about what she knew. They would need to talk sooner or later. But the cowardice part of her was holding her back, whispering to her that she might possible lose him as her best friend. Another part of her knew that thought was ridiculous. Robin wasn't a person that would ruin a friendship like theirs over even something that big.

But she still did not knock on the door and left for the library.

She was surprised to find it mostly deserted. Even though it was still early regarding Earth's customs, Azarathians had a habit of rising with the sun. On her way to the library, Raven had met a few people, either servants going on with their usual duties or people coming to meditate in the altar near the heart of the temple/palace.

Noticing a familiar head of white hair, she walked towards the table Lupe was occupying, grabbing a random book from one of the numerous shelves on her way.

"Good morning, Raven." Lupe murmured, her fingers still moving in complex notions over the pages of the open book in front of her. Raven immediately recognised the pattern. It was a casting that Andraste, Lupe's mentor, had taught the girl after Lupe had lost her eyesight. It didn't require an incantation, only hand movements and what it did was transfer the words written upon the page it was casted directly to the caster's mind. Since there weren't any books made for blind people in Azarath, that was the only way the girl could read without assistance.

"We need to talk." Raven stated taking a sit beside Lupe. The girl sighed and stopped her spell, indicating Raven had her full attention. Raven took a deep breath and spoke the thought that had been plaguing her mind all night.

"I think Orion knows I am here."

After her fight with Robin and being unable to fall asleep, Raven had time to think about her nightmare. But the more she thought about what she had seen in her mind, the more painful her headache grew to the point that she couldn't think at all. The half-demon, in a moment of clarity, realised that nothing was natural about her headache. So she grabbed her mirror and entered Nevermore. The minute she did that, the headache vanished and she found herself being surrounded by the different versions of herself which were her emotions.

They were all speaking at the same time and only when Raven managed to have them shut up, Knowledge explained that something-or more likely someone- had managed to enter her mind during the vulnerable state she was in while sleeping and invoke upon her the nightmare she had as well as her excruciating headache that had caused her to snap at Robin. But the moment she had entered Nevermore, the presence retreated from her mind, probably fearing to be found by her.

There was only one person that Raven knew capable and insane enough to dare enter her mind and mess with her. And that was Orion.

After explaining all this to Lupe, the girl waited for her friend's response. Lupe seemed to be deep in thought, probably processing what Raven was saying.

"If you are right-which you probably are- then we don't hold the element of surprise anymore. We will need to speed up finding Orion." Lupe pointed out and Raven nodded, forgetting the girl couldn't see her.

"I need to know everything about his escape."Raven said, knowing that she needed to fix things fast. Lupe frowned. "Shouldn't we do this with the rest of your team here?" Lupe asked.

"I am not planning to involve them in this. I agreed with them coming to Azarath and supporting me while I tie up the loose ends regarding the succession of Azar. But hell will freeze over before I let them anywhere near a madman like Orion." Raven stated. She was determined to not put her friend in danger. The images from her nightmare- which still had felt like a premonition despite the whole thing being orchestrated by Orion- as well as the time she had thought they had all died during the fight with Trigon, flashed before her mind's eye and it took every control she had not to shudder. She couldn't put them in such a danger so soon after Trigon almost destroyed them all.

Lupe narrowed her eyes in a glare towards Raven's general direction, indicating she was not thrilled with Raven's decision. "I have met your team. I have felt their emotions, their feelings towards you. You will not be able to keep them at arm's length. They will find out sooner or later and they will be adamant to fight with you." She stated plainly, knowing that deep down Raven knew what she was saying was true.

The sorceress was ready to object once more when Leon approached them, interrupting their conversation.

"Good morning, ladies. Raven, you should probably go see if your team is awake. Father wants all of you to take part in the council's meeting in a bit over an hour so you all should grab a bite to eat. "The ginger announced, his tone indicating that there was no way out of meeting the magistrate for Raven.

Lupe scoffed at that. She trusted Arthur to make wise choices, she truly did. But he had to be a bit crazy to think that Raven and her team- who, even though they were clearly no threat, were still outsiders- participating in the meeting wouldn't cause any negative reactions.

Raven was probably thinking the same as Lupe because she pressed her lips in a thin line, her eyes darkening with worry.

"Is Merrigan still a magistrate?" she asked and at the mention of the woman, the other two flinched almost immediately. "Yes the wicked witch of the west is still a magistrate. But so is Phelan-not that you didn't know that already- Balthazar, Felix and obviously my dear mentor Andraste. As you noticed yesterday Zora became a magistrate after you left. And we lost Arden during our time in Trigon's soul so his pupil became a magistrate after we were set free. You must remember her, her name is Nova." Lupe explained. Raven's eyes widened slightly in shock at the news of Arden's death but she couldn't help but sigh in relief. The man had always been rather hostile towards her and her mother- not that Raven blamed him- and she hoped that Nova hadn't been influence too much by his ideas.

Thinking over the new information she had received, she figured she could risk attending the meeting- not that she had a choice either way-. Merrigan, Felix and possibly Nova could pose a problem. But she hoped Balthazar and Andraste hadn't changed their opinions of her since she had been gone. Phelan always preferred remaining neutral and Zora seemed to have no problem with her yesterday. And obviously Arthur would step in if needed. So her chances of surviving the meeting without causing or receiving any physical pain were rather high.

"Let's get moving then." Raven sighed, knowing that whether she liked it or not and despite being the heir of Azarath, she could not ignore a summons from the current Azar.

The three left the library and headed back to the wing that housed the Titans. As they turned the corner to the corridor, they came face to face with Cyborg and Starfire exiting their rooms.

"The best of mornings to you, friends. Did you have the good sleep?" Starifire said smiling brightly. "Morning, Star." Raven said calmly while Cyborg answered positively to the alien's question.

"Are we the only ones awake? Robin isn't up yet?" Cyborg asked confused. After all, most mornings at the tower, Robin was the first to awake with Raven always being second.

Raven frowned for a moment at the mention of the masked boy but immediately schooled her face to appear neutral. She had a feeling Robin was awake but was avoiding coming out of his room because of what had been revealed the previous night.

She tried ignoring the deep dejection that deduction caused her.

"Someone should tell them to wake up. You all will be attending a meeting with Raven, Lupe and me." Leon announced and Cyborg nodded, taking it up to himself to wake up the remaining of the Teen Titans.

It took him precisely a quarter of the hour and a lot of crashing to exit Beast Boy's room, with the latter following him, still half-asleep with his hair sticking towards all possible directions. Raven decided not to ask what had taken to wake up the young shape shifter.

Cyborg was ready to knock on Robin's door as the rest entered the dining room when the door opened, revealing the masked leader already awake and dressed on the other side. The half- robot noticed he looked paler than usual and his shoulders were slightly slumped, something not common for the ever confident former sidekick. He was ready to voice his concern when Robin, seemingly having sensed what CYborg was going to ask, glared at him, his mask narrowing as his eyes behind it did the same. So Cyborg closed his mouth only to open it again, this time just to inform Robin the plans of the day.

Breakfast time was tense to say the least. Even though no one besides the two people involved knew what had happened last night- Raven had opted not to mention her talk with Robin to Lupe earlier-, everyone could sense something was wrong.

Raven had barely touched her food, which in itself wasn't something unusual. But she was even less talkative than usual and everyone noticed how she had opted to sit in between Lupe and Leon instead of her usual sit on Robin's right side when the Titans ate together at the tower. Robin on the other hand, was more conversational but his answers and remarks were short and his voice had an edge to it that reminded all Titans of the times his obsession with Slade was getting out of hand.

Starfire watched her two friends with worry written all over her face while Cyborg was trying and failing to get Raven to participate in the conversation, even going as far as starting asking Lupe and Leon random questions about Azarath, hoping Raven would take the bait and add anything to their answers.

They finished their breakfast and Leon stood up, beckoning them all to follow him to where the meeting of the magistrate would take place. But before they all exited the room, someone snapped under the tension in the air.

"Ok that is enough!" Beast Boy exclaimed. The shape shifter, with his animal senses, could sense since the beginning the anger and frustration radiating from Robin and the shame and sadness Raven was trying really hard to suppress. It was causing him a headache. He hadn't the foggiest what was going on between the two but if this was going to continue any longer, their hormones or whatever he was detecting would cause him a major headache.

"We are going to go ahead. Robin, Raven you stay here." Beast Boy said as everyone looked at him confused by his outburst. Both Raven and Robin opened their mouths, possibly to protest but Beast Boy turned to look at them with a pleading look that made even Raven feel bad for the younger boy.

First Lupe, having possibly sensed the same things Beast Boy had detected, grabbed Leon's arm and walked out of the room, with Cyborg right behind them beckoning Starfire to follow and not ask any questions.

"Listen dudes I don't know what has gotten into you but you need to talk it out. You can't seriously let whatever happened to get between the whole team and more importantly your friendship. Now talk." Beast Boy told the two birds before leaving the room himself, closing the door behind it.

Silence fell over the two remaining people in the room. Raven knew Beast Boy was right- not that she would ever admit that out loud- but still she couldn't bring herself to start the impending conversation.

"It was during the ordeal with Slade's mask, wasn't it?"

Raven jumped slightly, caught off guard by Robin's question since she had been so wrapped up in her own thoughts. It took her a couple of moments to register the question and when she did, she nodded timidly, not sure she wanted to answer verbally to him.

"I thought about it last night. I never would have guessed you had learnt anything when you entered my mind. Sure I knew you had seen what I was seeing, felt what I was feeling. But actually seeing my memories, learning things about me, it didn't even occur to me something like that could have happened. "

Raven looked at him from the corner of her eye, trying to figure out his thinking. She could always use her powers to find out where he was going with this. But since the problem between them right now had to do with her using her powers and invading his privacy- it didn't matter that it hadn't been intentional- she opted not to, instead trying to catch a glimpse of his emotions on his face.

Let's say she was failing miserably at that.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Robin asked, seeing Raven wasn't going to add anything to his deductions. There was a slight edge to his voice and Raven's first thought was that he was angry.

But then she realized he wasn't angry. He was sad.

"I didn't know how. And since you didn't seem to notice and I had no intention of ever revealing anything to anyone, I thought it was better left alone." She stated trying to sound calm and control her roaring emotions inside her.

This would either make or break the friendship she treasured most on Earth.

Robin nodded as he obviously contemplated her reasoning. Raven couldn't help but smile just a tiny bit at the sight. She really appreciated that about him, how regardless the topic of conversation or its importance, he would always mull over the other person's thoughts and words intensively, taking into consideration every aspect of the matter.

"How much do you know?" he asked next, yet again not commenting on her words or revealing any of his emotions to her. Raven was getting restless, the temptation to use her powers to ease her uncertainty growing stronger and stronger. But she forced herself to calm down and fought the urge.

"Everything…" she said and her voice came out as barely a whisper.

A few moments of complete silence passed and Raven was ready to accept Robin was not going to ever treat her the same after this, when suddenly the masked boy let out an frustrated groan, covering his face with his palms.

"Bruce is going to kill me when he hears about this…" he said, his voice muffled by his hands but Raven could still detect the slight amusement in his tone. A moment later he lowered his hands, a small smirk on his face.

"So…so you aren't angry anymore?" Raven asked bewildered by his reaction.

"Of course not, Raven. Sure it was a lot to take in and I was angry about it last night but that was more because you didn't tell me about it than because you know my secret identity. You are my best friend, if anyone should know about it, it should be you." Robin said and, taking her by surprise, wrapped an arm around her shoulders, bringing her towards him in a one sided hug. Raven immediately tensed at the physical contact and the boy realizing his mistake, immediately loosened his grip, ready to let go. But Raven, completely out of character, decided to throw all caution in the wind and returned the hug by wrapping an arm around his abdomen.

"Thank you." She murmured under her breath which earned a smile from Robin.

"I guess now we don't have any secrets from each other, do we?" Robin stated calmly, letting go of the sorceress and taking a step back, smile still present on his face.

Raven tried not flinched at that, reminded that she still kept some secrets from him, namely the extent of their physic bond, not to mention the meaning it had for Azarathians, as well as the existence of Orion. Despite repeating over and over again in her mind that the first wasn't necessary to be mention and the latter was for his and the rest of the team's own protection, she could still not shake off the guilt that threatened to drown her.

Robin went for the door, obviously intending to catch up with the others. But as he laid a hand on the handle he paused and turned his head a bit to the left, looking at Raven from the corner of his eye.

"From time to time….when it is just the two of us I mean… would you mind if I asked you to call me by my actual name?" He asked and Raven was surprised at how timid and vulnerable his voice sounded. That was definitely not a usual look on Robin.

She ignored the small satisfaction she felt at knowing she had witness a side of him not many had seen.

"All right, I can do that….. Dick." She said not even trying to mask her amusement as she used the nickname she had learnt when she had seen the rest of his memories.

Robin groaned at the moniker and she was certain he had rolled his eyes behind the domino mask.

"Ok, _Rae-Rae_ , make all the fun you want." He threw back at her, using the hateful nickname Mother Mae-Eye used. Raven cringed at that, as the name brought back memories of frilly sunny dresses and bow-tied twin tails.

"Not funny, boy wonder. Now get a move on, Arthur will not let me hear the end of it if we are late for the meeting." Raven said and Robin nodded, opening the door and walking towards the others who were waiting at the corner of the corridor. When she was certain no one was paying attention, Raven let a small smile appear on her face.

She would definitely make it a habit to use Robin's name when they weren't around others.

 _Only because he asked me_ , she thought to herself, almost as if she was trying to convince her own mind of that.

Somewhere inside Nevermore, Knowledge rolled her eyes at Raven's excuses.

 **Did you seriously think that Robin and Raven would get into a fight or Robin would be angry with Raven for more than that? Of course not! For one my shipper's heart wouldn't be able to handle it and besides, I believe that if anyone were to learn of Robin's real identity, it would be Raven, whom he trusts unconditionally and who is his best friend.**

 **Obviously I am using Richard "Dick" Grayson as Robin's identity in this. I mean, the show itself has shown him as Nightwing, it would be crazy to use any of the other Robin's (although in my opinion the whole Red X thing suits either Jason Todd or Tim Drake more than Grayson).**

 **I hinted a bit that the psychic bond has a special meaning in Azarath. This will be revealed in later chapters.**

 **Next time, the meeting with the council and maybe a journey to the town.**


End file.
